A joyous Shrove Tuesday to you all, friends! It seems impossible that Lent should already be beginning tomorrow, and yet I am looking forward to the prospect of deepening my focus on God during this time, feasting on His word, His Spirit, His truth.

As March ushers in its seasonal change, I am excited to share with you my newest offering, the Saints of March collection. This selection of high-definition images features nine revered saints, each celebrated in March for their remarkable contributions to the Christian faith and to humanity.

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Here is the full list of saints included in this collection:

• Saint David of Wales: The patron saint of Wales, known for his monastic discipline and the founder of numerous churches, he is especially celebrated for his teachings on the Christian faith.

• Saint Frances of Rome: Recognized for her work in charity and her spiritual guidance, she is the patroness of motorists, widows, and those who suffer from the plague.

• Saint Gregory the Great: A transformative pope who reformed the Church and its liturgy, he is the patron of educators, musicians, and singers.

• Saint Patrick: Best known for bringing Christianity to Ireland and his symbolic use of the shamrock, he is the patron saint of Ireland, engineers, and paralegals.

• Saint Cyril of Jerusalem: His writings are a cornerstone of Christian liturgy, making him the patron of theologians and scholars.

• Saint Joseph, Husband of Mary: The adopted father of Jesus, known for his humility and dedication, is the patron of the Universal Church, fathers, carpenters, and social justice.

• Saint Cuthbert of Lindisfarne: A monk and a bishop renowned for his piety and miracles, he is the patron of Northumbria and shepherds.

• Saint Margaret Clitherow: Celebrated for her martyrdom in defending her faith, she is the patroness of businesswomen and converts.

• Saint John Donne: Known for his profound religious poetry and sermons, he is the patron of poets and struggling married couples.

I hope you’ll enjoy this latest installment of this series. Next stop, the Saints of April. See you soon! And may the Lord be with you all.

For my newsletter subscribers, I'm offering an exclusive coupon code, which will allow you to take $10 off your order total when your purchase of $30 or more. Here’s the coupon code: 10DOLLARSOFFMARCH25

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Saint Brigid of Kildare is one of Ireland's most cherished and iconic figures, often hailed as the female patron saint of Ireland alongside Saint Patrick. Born in the mid-fifth century, Brigid's life is a tapestry of miracles and acts of kindness that resonate deeply with those who admire selfless devotion and compassion.

The story goes that Brigid was born into slavery, the daughter of a Pictish slave and a chieftain named Dubhthach. From a young age, Brigid displayed an extraordinary compassion for the people and animals around her. Legend has it that she could turn water into beer and that her prayers spread her butter so thinly she could feed many from a single block.

Brigid's benevolence knew no bounds. She founded many monasteries, the most famous being in Kildare, on the site of an older pagan shrine to the Celtic goddess Brigid, a goddess after which she was most likely named by her parents, which adds a layer of redemption to her story. This monastery was unique as it was a double monastery, housing both monks and nuns.

Saint Brigid's connection to the natural world was profound. She is often depicted with symbols of life and fertility, such as flames and reeds. She is also credited with the creation of the distinctive Saint Brigid's Cross, woven from rushes.

Brigid passed away on February 1st, around 525 AD, which is now celebrated as Saint Brigid's Day in Ireland and by the Catholic Church around the world. Her legacy as a mother figure, a leader, and a protector continues to inspire people centuries later to promote generosity, peace, and the strength of the human spirit. Her life encourages us to pursue acts of kindness and to uphold the values of community and care for all creation.

Click Here to visit the listing for Saint Brigid of Kildare on my Etsy shop.

I already had a couple of listings of Saints in the shop, but there are so many, and I wanted to have more! So that's what I did. I've always been fascinated by icon paintings. So, I thought I'd try creating some images that were more in keeping with the composition and themes of icons, full of the symbolism surrounding each saint. I’ve just added a set of images of saints whose feast days are in February. Here is a list of the saints included in my new listing “Saints of February.”

• Saint Brigid of Kildare: Known for her miraculous powers and charitable deeds, she is the patron of Ireland, dairymaids, cattle, midwives, Irish nuns, and newborns.

• Saint Blaise: Famed for healing a boy choking on a fishbone, he is the patron of throat illnesses, animals, wool combers, and wild animals.

• Saint Agatha: Celebrated for her resilience and faith during persecution, she is the patron of breast cancer patients, martyrs, wet nurses, and bell-founders.

• - Saint Josephine Bakhita: Once enslaved, her journey to freedom and faith inspires many; she is the patron of Sudan and survivors of slavery and human trafficking.

• Saint Scholastica: Sister to Saint Benedict, she dedicated her life to God and prayer, and is the patron of nuns, convulsive children, schools, and tests.

• Saints Cyril and Methodius: These brothers are credited with creating the Slavic written script, making them patrons of Europe, Slavic peoples, ecumenism, and education.

• Saint Valentine: Best known for performing secret marriages, he is the patron of lovers, happy marriages, beekeepers, epilepsy, and against fainting.

• Saint Polycarp: The first bishop of Smyrna and a disciple of Saint John the Apostle, he is remembered for his martyrdom and is the patron of earaches, dysentery, and against heresies.

• Saint Matthias: Chosen by lot to replace Judas as an apostle, he is the patron of alcoholics, carpenters, tailors, and smallpox.

I love how these images have turned out, and I hope you will, too. I'm planning on releasing a new set of images each month until I've got one set for each month of the year. So, be sure to stay tuned!

Click Here to visit the listing for “Saints of February” on my Etsy Shop.

While you’re at the shop, be sure to take advantage of this month’s coupon code, available to newsletter subscribers like yourself, and get 40% off any order of two or more items! Here’s the coupon code: 40PERCENTFEB2025

You can also click on this link to automatically apply the coupon to your purchase.

May your heart be light and full of joy this month. Next month's update will include a new set of saints for the month of March and some news about listings for Lent.

The Lord be with you!

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In the early days of the church, only a couple of centuries after Christ’s ascension, even before Christianity became the official religion of the Roman Empire, lived a man named Nicholas. He was born in the village of Patara, located in what was then called Asia Minor, which is now the southern coast of Turkey.

His parents were devout Christians, and raised their son in the faith, but they died because of an epidemic when he was young. They were very wealthy when they died, and left him a large inheritance. Nicholas took Jesus’s teaching about wealth very seriously, however, to the point that he was so generous with his money, he eventually gave away his entire inheritance to help the needy, the sick, and the suffering.

Nicholas's commitment to serving God drew the attention of other church leaders, who appointed him as Bishop of Myra when he was still quite young, a role that allowed him to continue his charitable work on a larger scale. He was known for championing the cause of the oppressed and defending the faith against persecution. The bishop's reputation for secret gift-giving and compassion became legendary, and his acts of kindness were celebrated far and wide.

Like many other Christians living around that time, Nicholas faced persecution from the Roman Emperor, Diocletian, who exiled and imprisoned Nicholas, along with a multitude of other clergy. It was recorded that the prisons were so overwhelmed with bishops, priests, and deacons that there was scarcely any room left over for actual criminals.

After his eventual release from prison, Nicholas was invited to join the Council of Nicaea in AD 325. That’s right, folks, when you say the Nicene Creed, whether at church or during your devotion time, you might also consider saying, “Thank you, Santa Claus.”

Nicholas’s earthly journey concluded when he passed away on December 6, AD 343, in Myra. This date would later be marked as St. Nicholas Day, the feast day on the church calendar set aside to celebrate his life and legacy, and to encourage us in our own faith journey. So, if you're reading this on the day it was published, happy Saint Nicholas Day!

There are many cherished tales about this saint of the church. One of them is about a destitute man with three daughters, each of them bereft of dowries and destined for slavery. Mysteriously, on three separate occasions, bags of gold appeared in their home, providing the needed dowries. The bags, thrown through an open window, are said to have landed in stockings or shoes left before the fire, giving rise to the enduring tradition of children hanging stockings for St. Nicholas to fill with gifts.

Nicholas's protective mantle extended to children even after his passing. A poignant story tells of the townspeople of Myra celebrating the saint on the eve of his feast day when marauding pirates abducted a young boy named Basilios. St. Nicholas, sent by Jesus, appeared to the terrified boy, blessed him, and returned him home. This became the inception of Nicholas's role as the protector of children in the Western tradition.

Another story tells how, during his pilgrimage to the Holy Land, Nicholas, then still a young man, faced a raging storm at sea. In a display of divine intervention, he prayed fervently, calming the tempest and saving the terrified sailors aboard, much like Jesus did with his disciples on the Sea of Galilee. Today, countless sailors ask Nicholas to intercede on their behalf for safe voyages.

The veneration of St. Nicholas spread across Europe, and each culture developed their own unique customs and traditions to honor him. The Dutch Sinterklaas, for example, which included an elderly, white-bearded man dressed in a red stole and cap, who left gifts for good children and punished bad children, evolved from the original St. Nicholas traditions and was then brought to America by Dutch settlers in the 18th century. Over a period of two centuries, the Dutch-American image of St. Nicholas evolved into our contemporary, Western depiction of Santa Claus, complete with his own red suit, white beard, and a sack full of gifts.

I’ve just released a new abstract watercolor for Saint Nicholas. You can find it on my Etsy shop by clicking here.

While you’re at the shop, be sure to take advantage of this month’s coupon code, available to newsletter subscribers like yourself, and get 40% off any order–no minimum, no limit! Here’s the coupon code: 40PERCENTDEC2024

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I pray the upcoming Advent season would bring you closer to the heart of Father God and to His Incarnate Son, through the mighty power of the Holy Spirit.

The Lord be with you!

Friends, it’s hard to believe that Advent is only three weeks away! The season of the Church calendar that begins in Advent and lasts through Epiphany is my favorite time of year, and I’m starting to get excited about sharing this season with my family and church, but also entering into special times of prayer and contemplation in my personal devotional time with God.1

The “O Antiphons” are an ancient part of Advent, calling out to Christ with titles like “O Wisdom” or “O Key of David,” with each antiphon highlighting a different attribute or role. If you've sung "O Come, O Come Emmanuel," you've already encountered the Antiphons; they form the verses of this beloved hymn. Dating back at least to the 6th century, these prayers were traditionally sung during evening prayer from December 17th to 23rd. They’re named for their opening “O” and are addressed to Jesus, each one asking Him to come with a specific blessing or gift.

Each antiphon focuses on a name of Jesus found in Scripture, like "O Wisdom" or "O King of Nations," and a need that humanity has that only He can fulfill. Together, they form a crescendo of anticipation that builds until Christmas Eve.

Using the O Antiphons devotionally can be done simply yet meaningfully. You could take one each day leading up to Christmas Eve, reflect on the title of Jesus it uses, and pray for that grace in your life. For example, on December 17, with “O Wisdom,” you might pray for guidance in a decision you’re facing. They can be beautiful additions to Advent, especially if you’re looking for ways to focus more on Jesus and the hope He brings as you approach Christmas.

I’ve just released a set of seven new images inspired by the O Antiphons. They are available for purchase from my Etsy shop. You can view the listing by Clicking Here.

While you’re at the shop, be sure to take advantage of this month’s coupon code available to newsletter subscribers like yourself and get 50% off any order of $50 or more! Here’s the coupon code: 50PERCENTNOV2024

You can also click on this link to automatically apply the coupon to your purchase.

I pray the upcoming Advent season would bring you closer to the heart of Father God and to His Incarnate Son, through the mighty power of the Holy Spirit.

The Lord be with you!

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